PMA 2009 | At the PMA International Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas this week, Samsung unveiled its hybrid camera, in an attempt to snatch some of the market away from micro four thirds cameras like Panasonic's Lumix DMC-G1.

The new NX Series doesn't look that exciting from the outside...(Credit: Samsung)

It's a bold entry into the market for the manufacturer, who previously announced plans to make a new sensor format after the hype surrounding Panasonic and Olympus' micro four thirds announcement at the Photokina show in 2008.

The new NX Series attempts to bridge the gap between compact cameras and dSLRs, just like Panasonic's G1, by reducing the footprint of the camera, removing the mirror box, and still maintaining an interchangeable lens system. What is interesting is that the sensor will be APS-C sized, which means it has a larger surface area and is generally believed to produce higher quality images than smaller-sized sensors.

The back isn't that interesting either, and the screen doesn't look like it will be free-angle.(Credit: Samsung)

At the moment, we are unsure as to what lens mount the NX Series will use — micro four thirds or a proprietary system developed by Samsung. If it's the latter, we can't be certain how popular the new system will be considering Samsung's dSLR line is relatively limited and asking users to buy into an entirely new system is a big ask.

Like its main competitor, the G1, the NX Series will be available in a multitude of colours. At present, this particular model is still a concept, though Samsung has stated that the first model will be available in the second half of 2009. No word on local availability as yet.